Online Test Prep Resources: The Study Hall Reviewed

Each week, the Education Techie reviews tech tools that can help students and teachers. This week, the Techie is reviewing test prep resources. Today's review: The Study Hall.

What Is It?

The Study Hall offers free SAT instruction. You don't need to sign up for anything; you just need to be able to view Flash videos in your Web browser. The site itself is free to use, however, it is strongly recommended that users purchase a copy of the Official SAT Study Guide that is published by the College Board, the company that administers the test.

The SAT prep offered by The Study Hall takes a three-step approach. The first step is to watch the instructional videos, the second is to complete the tests in the Study Guide, and the third is to take an interactive virtual practice SAT test. The instructional videos include an introduction to the exam that offers time management tips along with a breakdown of what will be covered. There are six more videos that cover math topics, reading comprehension, writing skills and the essay question. The videos range in length from less than five minutes to 19 minutes.

Just as the videos are organized into sections, the simulation is organized into sections as well. This gives users the flexibility to attack their test prep in sections. There are six separate simulation modules, each mimicking an actual section of the SAT. Included in the simulation are multiple choice math, reading comprehension, sentence completion, grammatical error identification and sentence completion sections. The test simulation plays out over video, narrated in the same way that the instructional videos are. You can watch the simulation without following along for further orientation, or you can opt to answer the questions as they're asked by the narrator and see if you got the answer right.

What Makes It Cool?

I like the fact that this program is totally free and requires no sign-ups or downloads. A student could access this program from any flash-compatible, Internet-connected computer. This makes The Study Hall's resources great for students who may not be able to afford test prep classes and don't have a home computer. All the test prep could take place at school or a library.

The only thing that calls for expense is the purchasing of the official study guide, but it might be possible to access that guide for free through a library or a school counselor's office. If it isn't possible for students to get this guide, they could use the video instructions and test simulations of The Study Hall's website to prepare for the exam. Test prep would be more complete with the official study guide, but the resources offered on The Study Hall's site are definitely better than no prep at all.

What Are Its Drawbacks?

This is the only test prep program I looked at that doesn't offer resources for tests other than the SAT. I think it's a great resource for students in need of free SAT prep, but if you need help with other tests, you're going to have to look elsewhere.

The schools in the listing below are not free and may include sponsored
content but are popular choices among our users. Tuition and costs will vary across programs and locations.
Be sure to always request tuition information before starting a program.

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The schools in the listing below are not free and may include sponsored content but are
popular
choices among our users. Tuition and costs will vary across programs and locations. Be sure to always request tuition information
before
starting a program.